USA Softball and Blast Motion Partner to Make Advanced Tech Available to National Team Athletes & Millions of Youth Players

(Carlsbad, Calif., – May 6, 2019) – Today, Blast Motion, the leader in hitting assessment and improvement, announced a partnership with USA Softball to make swing analysis and improvement technology available to members of the USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) and millions of aspiring USA Softball players nationwide. With preparations continuing for softball’s return to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, members of the WNT now have the opportunity to train with Blast technology. With the addition of USA Softball, Blast Motion adds the best softball players in the country to an already impressive roster including 65% of the Power 5 College Programs, hundreds of collegiate teams, and travel teams nationwide.

“As our program begins to find ways to measure athletes’ levels of success and athleticism, it’s important for us to have benchmarks that young softball players can aspire to reach,” said USA Softball Women’s National Team (WNT) Head Coach, Ken Eriksen. “The best players in the world can do things no others can. This technology can help make some of those intangibles more distinguishable.”

Blast Motion and USA Softball have also collaborated to bring approved in-game sensor use to over 120,000 teams at USA Softball-sanctioned events. By utilizing the Blast Softball solution, registered USA Softball coaches and players can establish advanced player performance baselines, collect in-game data for post-game analysis, compare hitting trends over time, and conduct training sessions with real-time feedback, providing coaches with the information they need to help their players improve.

“As the game of softball continues to evolve, more and more athletes and coaches are looking for tools to help them further develop their skills,” said USA Softball Chief Executive Officer, Craig Cress. “As the National Governing Body of Softball, USA Softball is always looking for ways to help grow the game at the grassroots level, which in turn develops those athletes who are in the pipeline for the National Team Program. By partnering with Blast Motion, USA Softball is able to fulfill that mission by providing our members with a professional-grade swing-analysis tool that will greatly benefit player-development.”

Now, youth players can start leveraging Blast technology at an early age to better develop their hitting skills and performance in-game. The longer a player trains with Blast, the richer their personal story of proven performance becomes, allowing players to advance their high school and collegiate careers.

“We are thrilled to partner alongside USA Softball and the US Women’s National Team,” said Vanessa Laughlin, Blast Motion, Softball Channel Manager. “With the help of USA Softball, Blast technology will provide the next generation of softball and Olympic hopefuls the information they need to reach their full potential. Whether you’re a current National Team player or a 12U athlete competing at a National Championship, Blast insights help players at every level understand their swing, shorten the feedback loop, and improve accordingly, both in practice and in-game. We look forward to bringing these benefits to USA Softball teams, coaches, and players, while working with USA Softball in our shared mission to grow the game.”

For additional information on the full Blast solution and to receive a customized quote for a team or collegiate program package, please complete the online information request form.

About Blast MotionBased in Carlsbad, California, Blast Motion is an information company that provides motion analysis and performance insights. By intelligently combining the bio-mechanics of movement with sensor data, video capture technology, and cloud-based software services, Blast has redefined the way people train, analyze, and improve their game. For additional information on Blast Motion, please visit: blastmotion.com

About USA SoftballUSA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition through a network of Local Associations, which includes all 50 states and select metro associations. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping, and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships, and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit: www.USASoftball.com.